Healthcare services nationwide faced significant disruptions as doctors staged a 24-hour protest on Saturday, demanding justice for the rape and murder of a colleague at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata.
The incident, involving the alleged rape and murder of a 31-year-old postgraduate student on August 9, has ignited widespread outrage and protests across the medical community.
The Indian Medical Association (IMA) had called for the suspension of non-emergency medical services from 6 am on Saturday to facilitate the demonstrations. The 24-hour protest will continue till 6 am on Sunday.
On Friday, the IMA also made five demands, including a comprehensive overhaul of the working and living conditions for resident doctors and the implementation of a central law to prevent violence against healthcare professionals at workplaces.
IMA's five demands include:
1. Thorough overhaul of working and living conditions for resident doctors: This includes addressing the issue of extended 36-hour duty shifts and the lack of safe resting spaces for doctors.
2. Implementation of a central law to prevent violence against healthcare professionals: The IMA calls for a law that specifically addresses violence against healthcare workers at their workplaces.
3. Declaration of hospitals as safe zones: The IMA demands that hospitals be given mandatory security entitlements, with security protocols equivalent to those at airports, including the installation of CCTVs and the deployment of security personnel.
4. Meticulous and professional investigation of the crime: The IMA insists on a thorough investigation of the crime within a specific timeframe, with justice being rendered, and those involved in the vandalism of the hospital being identified and punished appropriately.
5. Appropriate and dignified compensation to the bereaved family: The IMA demands compensation for the victim's family that is commensurate with the severity of the crime committed.
WEST BENGAL AND KOLKATA
Healthcare services across West Bengal were disrupted on Saturday as doctors joined the cease-work protest.
Outpatient services at both government and private hospitals were affected as doctors also condemned the vandalism at RG Kar MCH on August 14.
"Our agitation will continue. This is the only way to get our demands fulfilled," said one of the protesting doctors. "How can people attack us inside the hospital even with police present? We question the true motive behind the vandalism."
Non-essential services were severely impacted at state-run SSKM Hospital, Sambhunath Pandit Hospital, and Calcutta National Medical College and Hospital, as well as at private healthcare facilities across the state.
JHARKHAND
Healthcare services in Jharkhand were disrupted on Saturday as doctors joined the strike.
Dr Pradeep Kumar Singh, IMA's state secretary, said services would continue until 6 am on Sunday. "We demand justice and condemn the vandalism at RG Kar MCH," he added.
Dr Arun Kumar Singh, IMA state chief, noted that while elective services, OPD activities, and elective surgeries are suspended, emergency services remain unaffected. A march will be held in Ranchi later in the day. Junior doctors at RIMS-Ranchi and five other medical colleges joined the strike in solidarity.
ASSAM
Similarly, doctors across Assam joined the protest on Saturday. Outpatient and non-essential services were significantly impacted as doctors wore black badges and displayed placards at various hospitals.
"We want justice for the victim and her family, and emphasize the need for awareness to prevent such crimes," said a resident doctor at Gauhati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH). Another junior doctor highlighted the lack of security for on-duty staff, stating, "We are often called in the middle of the night without adequate protection."
Protests also took place at Assam Medical College and Hospital (AMCH) in Dibrugarh, Rupnath Brahma Civil Hospital in Kokrajhar, and Jorhat Medical College and Hospital, where doctors called for CCTV installations to enhance security. Similar protests were held in Nagaon and Golaghat.
Placards featured slogans such as "No safety, no duty," "No justice, no peace," "Stop shielding rapists," "Doctor life matters," and "We want justice."
GOA
Doctors practicing independently and in various private hospitals across Goa joined in the protest. Emergency services in private hospitals remain unaffected, while a silent protest march is planned from Azad Maidan to Old Goa Medical College and Hospital.
The Goa Association of Resident Doctors (GARD) has also been on strike since Friday afternoon and will decide on extending it based on the response from their parent body in Delhi.
DELHI
The strike in Delhi entered its sixth day, with elective medical services suspended as doctors continue their protest. Resident doctors' associations (RDAs) from various hospitals, including AIIMS and RML, held demonstrations and candlelight vigils across the city.
Patients have expressed frustration over treatment delays, although emergency services remain operational. Private hospitals have supported the strike but continue their elective services.
KARNATAKA
Members of the Indian Medical Association in Karnataka also joined the protest, doctors all over the state are staging protest marches across the southern state. In Bengaluru, over 1,000 doctors are participating in a demonstration at the IMA office in Chamarajpet.
The IMA Karnataka unit president, Srinivasa S, stated that all branches across the state will remain closed, with no outpatient department (OPD) services available. He emphasised the need for justice for the victim and called for a central law to safeguard doctors.
In response to the strike, the Karnataka government on Friday suspended the leaves of medical officers and surgeons at government hospitals.
A circular from the Health and Family Welfare Department instructed district health officers, district surgeons, and hospital administrators to ensure that emergency services remain operational and do not inconvenience the public.
IMA Karnataka unit president Srinivasa S stated that all branches will remain closed with no OPD services, but emergency services will continue unaffected.
Health and Family Welfare Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao assured that emergency services will remain unaffected by today's nationwide IMA strike. He urged doctors to handle critical cases and announced a meeting on Tuesday to discuss measures for preventing such incidents.
KERALA
In Kerala, all non-emergency medical services, including OPD, were disrupted as doctors protested outside medical colleges and hospitals, Similar demonstrations occurred at other hospitals, including the General Hospital in Ernakulam. Patients reported being rescheduled to Monday due to the strike.
Emergency and casualty services continued to operate as usual.
UTTARAKHAND
Uttarakhand doctors joined the 24-hour strike, outpatient services were suspended, but emergency services continued. The strike was coordinated by the Uttarakhand Provincial Medical Health Services Union, with a virtual meeting condemning the incident and calling for improved safety measures for medical staff. The union has urged both state and central governments to address the safety concerns of healthcare professionals.
PUNJAB
Doctors across Punjab and Haryana joined the protests with colleagues in other states. Outpatient department (OPD) services were halted, and elective surgeries were postponed, though emergency services remained unaffected.
The protests, led by the IMA, saw widespread participation in cities like Patiala, Amritsar, and Ludhiana.
At the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) in Chandigarh, the strike entered its sixth day.
ODISHA
Healthcare services were affected across Odisha on Saturday as doctors joined the nationwide protest About 6,000 members of the IMA joined the protest across the state, leading to the closure of outpatient departments, elective surgeries, and laboratory services in both government and private hospitals.
The impact of the agitation could be seen at the state-run SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack, MKCG Medical College and Hospital in Berhampur, and VIMSAR-Burla, among others.
State Health Minister Mukesh Mahaling said the government was in touch with different doctors' associations and requested the agitators to return to work so that healthcare services could be provided to the needy people.
In a statement, the Odisha Medical College Teachers' Association (OMTA) condemned the incident at the RG Kar MCH, and extended support to the stir. "We pray for the tortured soul to rest in peace, convey our deep condolence for the family and demand safety & security for doctors & medical professionals during the duty hours at the workplace," it said.
TRIPURA
Healthcare services were affected in Tripura on Saturday as doctors in the northeastern state joined the nationwide cease work protest. However, the emergency services remained functional in all the medical colleges and hospitals in the state.
The All Tripura Government Doctors' Association, the Tripura Doctors' Cell, the Tripura Dental Association and the AGMC Teachers' Forum also joined the protest programme.
"To express solidarity to the family of the victim of the heinous crime at Kolkata's RG Kar Medical College and Hospital on August 9, we joined the nationwide withdrawal of services at all medical colleges and hospitals on Saturday. We have already organised a rally against the ghastly incident," IMA Tripura chapter's president Dr Damodhar Chatterjee told PTI.
Only emergency services were open at the Agartala Government Medical College, while services at the outpatient and surgical departments were suspended as doctors joined the movement, he said, adding that the withdrawal of services was also observed in Tripura Medical College, a private entity, and all other hospitals.
"We want the guilty to face exemplary punishment. We demand the safety of all women doctors at their workplace irrespective of government and private sectors," Chatterjee said.
The nationwide strike follows a day of student-led protests and dharnas in cities across India, condemning the alleged inaction over the horrific rape-murder that has shocked the nation. In Delhi, several resident doctors' associations, including those from AIIMS and Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, assembled at Nirman Bhawan on Friday. They also held a candle march at India Gate.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee led a protest march in Kolkata on Friday, demanding the death penalty for the accused and a swift investigation by the CBI.
Banerjee urged that the CBI complete its probe by Sunday, 18 August, asserting that the Kolkata Police have already completed 90 percent of the investigation.
The BJP has intensified its protest against the West Bengal government, calling for Banerjee's resignation and accusing her of failing to uphold her constitutional duties.
The BJP also alleged that the Trinamool Congress orchestrated an attack on RG Kar Hospital to destroy evidence, following Wednesday night’s vandalism.
BJP state president Sukanta Majumdar criticised the state’s law and order situation and announced plans for a sit-in demonstration near RG Kar Medical College and Hospital.
West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose labelled RG Kar Hospital a "school of scandals" and accused Chief Minister Banerjee of behaving like "Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde" amidst the public outrage.
The CBI has questioned RG Kar Hospital's former principal Sandip Ghosh, four trainee doctors, and three of the victim's batchmates who were on duty during the incident.
Ghosh has sought security from the High Court, citing threats to his life.
Kolkata Police have arrested 25 individuals linked to the vandalism at RG Kar Hospital, which the BJP and doctors claim was an attempt to destroy evidence. The suspects were identified through social media, and efforts are ongoing to apprehend others involved.
An inquiry by the National Commission for Women (NCW) has uncovered lapses in the police investigation, as well as deficiencies in hospital security and infrastructure.
(With inputs from PTI)